In the world of the great clans, there is no such thing as a "free ride." To the outside world, Qiangu Zhangting was a golden child, a second-generation noble born with a silver spoon. But within the cold, metallic walls of the Spirit Pagoda, he was a soldier. The toil of study and the suffering of the flesh were the only constants. The Qiangu family didn't raise profligate sons; they forged weapons.
"Hah!"
A sharp, low shout broke the silence of the mental arena. A purple spirit ring flared behind Zhangting, casting a violet hue over his small, determined face.
First Soul Ability: Gold Element Attribute.
But this wasn't a standard activation. This was the Elemental Burst—the path of destruction Zhangting had carved for himself.
At his waist, a high-grade storage spirit tool vibrated. With a metallic hiss, a globule of Heavy Silver shot into the air. Under Zhangting's mental command, the deep-sea metal turned liquid, crawling up the Coiling Dragon Rod like a living vine. Heavy Silver was a conductor of spirit power; it didn't just add weight, it amplified the rod's explosive energy by a staggering ten percent.
In a fight between gods, a ten percent boost at the limit was the difference between life and death.
"Clang!"
The rod slammed into the Ironclad Dragon. The sound wasn't of flesh hitting bone, but of titan against titan. The dragon's "impenetrable" back plates buckled into a deep, ugly depression.
"Roar—!"
The beast's ferocity was ignited. Triggered by the pain, it lunged, its massive tail sweeping through the air in a 'Divine Dragon Swings Its Tail' maneuver.
"Too slow," Zhangting whispered.
His spirit ring flashed again. The Heavy Silver receded, and in its place, Amber Metal coated the rod in a translucent, golden layer. This was a counter-shock metal. As the dragon's tail connected with the rod, the impact didn't shatter Zhangting's arms. Instead, the Amber Metal absorbed the force and screamed it back into the dragon's tail.
The beast shrieked as its own power tore through its nerve endings. Zhangting's palms were numb, his "tiger's mouth" grip stinging with raw pressure, but he didn't retreat. He was watching. Calculating.
"Teacher, the Moon!"
Within the mental world, the sun was instantly swapped for a cold, silver crescent.
The sky transformed. Zhangting activated his third metal: Moonlight Stone. Under the silver glow, his body felt weightless, his spirit power surging as he drew upon the lunar blessing. Behind him, the phenomenon of 'The Bright Moon Rising Over the Sea' manifested—a vision of pure, destructive elegance.
He soared. Like a crescent moon spinning through the void, he gained momentum with every rotation.
The Third Strike.
It landed with a sickening thud—precisely in the center of the first two wounds. Zhangting had funneled all his strikes into a single point of failure. The Ironclad Dragon's back plates shattered like glass. The beast's vertical pupils, once full of murderous rage, now held only one thing: Absolute Terror.
The dragon's dream was dead. The mental world dissolved.
"Whew... whew..."
Back in reality, Zhangting leaned on his rod, his thin frame trembling. His heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird. Defeating a hundred-year sub-dragon at level ten was a feat that would leave most geniuses bedridden for a week.
"The Heaven and Earth Origin Power here is dense," Han Tianyi's voice was uncharacteristically soft. "Meditate. Recover. I will be back."
The Regret of a Teacher
Han Tianyi left the quiet room with a heart full of stormy emotions. He was beyond satisfied—he was terrified of his disciple's potential. Zhangting had it all: the bloodline, the mental force, and a combat instinct that remained chillingly calm in the heat of battle.
But there was one wall Zhangting hadn't hit yet: Physical Strength.
Han Tianyi remembered his own failure. He had reached the Spirit Abyss Realm, his mind ready to ascend, but his body had been too weak to house a hundred-thousand-year soul spirit. It was the lifelong regret that kept him awake at night. He would not let Zhangting suffer the same fate.
He strode through the halls of the Spirit Pagoda like a bolt of lightning, arriving at the Pagoda Master's office. He didn't wait. He knocked.
"Pagoda Master, it's me, Han Tianyi. We need to talk about Zhangting."
The door swung open, and Qian Gu Dongfeng stood there, surprised to see the usually detached Elder so animated. "Elder Han, please! Come in. Is that brat making things difficult? If he's being stubborn, discipline him. You have my full permission."
"Discipline him?" Han Tianyi let out a dry laugh as he stepped inside. "Dongfeng, your grandson just shattered an Ironclad Dragon's spirit with three strikes. He isn't the problem. Our resources are."
Dongfeng's eyes widened. "Explain."
"He wants the path of the Ultimate Single Soul Spirit," Han Tianyi said, his voice dropping into a serious register. "And to do that, his body must become a vessel of iron and divine marrow. I am here because it is time to open the forbidden vaults. We need a path of Body Refining that surpasses anything Shrek Academy has ever seen."
The atmosphere in the room changed. Dongfeng realized that Han Tianyi wasn't just complaining—he was making a declaration. The Spirit Pagoda was no longer just training a successor; they were building a monster.
"Body Refining..." Dongfeng murmured, a dark glint in his eyes. "If it's for Zhangting's future... the cost doesn't matter."